NOLA Gold Rugby calls it quits for 2026
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The NOLA Gold line up for the National Anthem before playing the Miami Sharks in Fort Lauderdale last February. Photo: Chris Arjoon/Getty Images
Just a year after hosting its first home playoff game, the NOLA Gold announced the team wouldn't participate in Major League Rugby in 2026.
Why it matters: It's a loss for New Orleans sports fans and raises a significant question about the future of the Shrine on Airline stadium.
The big picture: Founded in 2017, the NOLA Gold participated in the U.S.-based Major League Rugby, which has been rattled in the past couple of weeks as Miami's team also shuttered and two teams in California merged. A Utah team is also seeking additional investment, The Guardian reports.
- The shakeup, according to the newspaper, likely concerns officials with World Rugby, who look to host the 2031 men's and 2033 women's rugby World Cups in the U.S.
Zoom in: A top MLR official boasted about the sport's U.S. growth in New Orleans last summer while celebrating the NOLA Gold's home playoff game.
- Average stadium attendance was up 29% since 2021, MLR said at the time.
The intrigue: It's not exactly clear what led the Gold to close up shop.
- While an end-of-season statement in June acknowledged "challenges" and "growth opportunities," it offered optimism and a promise for "a detailed roadmap for the 2025-2026 season and beyond."
- The team could return to the MLR in the future, The Guardian reported, and the Gold's statement announcing it would not participate in 2026 said the team had ongoing discussions with the league about its future.
Between the lines: At least one Gold staffer found a new role: Former NOLA Gold general manager Ryan Fitzgerald heads to Loyola University, the school announced, where he'll oversee the development of women's and men's teams.
What we're watching: The Gold's departure leaves a gap in programming for the 10,000-seat Shrine on Airline, which The Times-Picayune reports is about to undergo a yearlong, $30 million renovation.
- The update will include new stands and reorienting the field, first built for baseball, so that guests sit alongside what will be the football field's sidelines and end zones.
- The Gold's departure "makes the renovations that much more important," Jefferson Parish Council member Deano Bonano told the newspaper.